1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a material system for use in 3D-printing
2. Description of the Related Art
A material system of this general type is already known from WO 98/09798.
In manufacturing technology and in particular in industrial model construction new types of more rapid production methods are constantly being developed. One group of this type of rapid manufacturing processes is referred to as rapid-prototyping-processes. This group includes the three dimensional or 3D-printing.
3D-printing, according to WO 98/09798, is a process in which a powder type material system, comprised of filler material and binder, are bonded to each other in successive layers. For this the powder is applied in successive layers and the powder layer is “printed” with a solvent, which activates the binder and therewith adheres the filler material. Thereby there results a cross-sectional view of a construction component. As soon as this is finished, a new powder layer is applied and is newly “printed”. This process is repeated so long until an entire construction component has been completed.
The construction component produced by this type of process possesses a low form stability, so that they are liable to breakage or distortion during the subsequent handling of the construction component. A further consequence of this type of low form stability is that larger construction components under certain conditions cannot be constructed as a single piece, even if, in the future, machines with large construction spaces are made available. Larger construction components would break as a result of their low form stability and due to the load of their own weight. This applies in particular for materials with high density. But even for small parts with high quality requirements, in particular with fine or filigreed structures, the shape stability must be increased.